Hiking the Sultan’s Trail in Eastern Europe – Stage 1: Vienna to Bratislava

As our followers on Facebook already know, we are hiking the 2500-km-long Sultan’s Trail from Vienna to Istanbul. After Coen was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer last summer, we decided that the best remedy to pull ourselves together and reclaim our lives was to walk. Hence this big adventure.

We’re doing this for ourselves – for our well-being and to celebrate life – and we are combining it with a fundraiser for research into this particular type of cancer: glioblastoma (GBM). We’d love for you to join us in both journeys: the hike and the fundraising, which we’re running through the accredited foundation Stophersentumoren.nl

We’re hiking the trail in two phases. The first phase took place in April and May, when we walked from Vienna to Budapest (stages 1 and 2). After a break in the Netherlands, we’ll return in June to continue from Budapest to Istanbul.

This blog post gives a glimpse and practical information on stage 1.

It was an easy hike – a good way to warm up our muscles for the long journey ahead. Over five days, we walked from the Kahlenberg on the outskirts of Vienna – where the Ottomans were defeated twice, halting their advance into Europe – to Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava. The route offered a varied mix of asphalt, unpaved roads, forest paths, and some singletrack trails.

The Sultans Trail passes through Lower Austria between Vienna and Bratislava. After rounding the Braunsberg in the Danube as bent near Hainburg, it sets off for Bratislava castle. The trail leaves the Vienna area at Schwechat. It continues through the countryside, following the Leitha River and later the Danube to Bratislava.

Medieval towns, Roman remains, wind turbines, vineyards, and beaver tracks mark this section.

From: Sultanstrail.com

Day 2 – Start of the Sultan’s Trail

Day 1 – As a kind of prologue, we took the opportunity to hike from the Kahlenberg, through vineyards, down to the heart of Vienna.

Day 2 – Officially, this is where the Sultan’s Trail truly begins: at Stephansplatz in downtown Vienna, with the mighty Stephansdom commanding everyone’s attention.

Tour groups were everywhere, but the crowds were still manageable. The slender stained-glass windows, the elegant columns, the endless sculptures throughout the cathedral – all of it was absolutely stunning. And no ticket was needed to get in.

Vienna’s historic center is home to splendid buildings full of grandeur, and it was a joy to wander about and take in all the amazing architecture. It makes you want to return one day and explore more. Near a major intersection stood a large fountain with a war memorial. We need more fountains in life, I believe. They always cheer you up. In and around Schloss Belvedere – with its Versailles-style gardens and a military history museum housed in that impressive structure – were many groups of primary school children and teachers.

“No, it’s not a school trip. An excursion,” a woman responded when Coen asked.

The contrast between the centuries-old downtown and the suburbs was striking, as it often is in capital cities. Suburbs are rarely, if ever, interesting. These buildings are not made to stand the test of time. Grey and boring, but clean. The dull stretches alternated with pockets of green as we passed through several parks. The gentle green of spring was in full bloom. We overtook three walkers.

“Is this the right way to Istanbul?” Coen asked.

They laughed. “Yes, probably.”

“Good. That’s where we’re headed.”

They laughed even harder.

Once out of the parks, we decided it was time for lunch and found a grassy field with a bench under a tree, surrounded by pink-blossoming chestnut trees.

Agricultural Lands

Next came a stretch of about six kilometers cutting through agricultural fields, some with reed grass, others recently ploughed and sown. We spotted a tall gray pillar by the roadside, and Coen figured it might mark a boundary. But which one? Vienna? Or Austria? An elderly man was jogging along the same remote road. He wasn’t breaking a sweat, even though the nearest settlement was out of sight. Despite his big belly he appeared to be in good shape.

“Is this a boundary marker for Vienna or Austria?” we asked.

“No, it’s a memorial,” he replied.

On the other side, indeed, there was a plaque honoring some war figure from the early 1900s.

“Remember to take your skis off up ahead,” he joked, pointing at our walking sticks, and then laughed.

A bit later, something in the field caught my eye. It looked like a tree stump, but it wasn’t. As I got closer, I saw a small head and antlers.

“Look, Coen – a roe deer!” I called out.

He had to stop to see it because the deer was on our left. Since Coen’s vision is gone on that side (damage from the brain tumor that had been removed last summer, and it’s a condition called hemianopsia), he has to pause to take in views or other sights properly so he doesn’t risk tripping. It has been one of the many adjustments – big or small – he (and we) have had to make during walks and hikes like this.

The deer sat completely still, watching us, trying to stay hidden in the green. Then it bolted. I silently apologized for the fact that fear of humans was necessary for its survival. Later, we spotted three large deer running through the fields and crossing the road. What a lovely gift from nature!

Rauchenwarth

By the time we reached Rauchenwarth, we were overheated. For the past hour and a half, the sun had blazed down on our heads and skin without mercy. We noticed a single picnic table under a blooming cherry tree. That was enough; we only needed one. We dropped our packs and sat down. Someone came out of a nearby building, and Coen asked if he could fill our water bottle. He also asked if camping was allowed here.

Nope. Illegal in his Austria, unfortunately.

Around the corner was a shop, but it was closed. A woman told us there was a self-service shop farther along. It turned out to be a cooled container, stocked like a mobile grocer’s truck. How cool was that? It included a freezer with pizzas and a fridge with dairy and iced coffee. We bought yogurt and an apple.

Finding a good place to wild camp wasn’t easy. The adjacent forest had lots of walking trails, but they were too popular with dog walkers. Fortunately, we had received an invitation from Peter and Gaby via Facebook just before we took the bus from the Netherlands to Vienna. They were fellow Land Cruiser lovers, but we simply hadn’t gotten around to contacting them yet.

Finding ourselves a dry place to eat lunch

Meeting Peter & Gaby

Coen decided to call them, and we were happy to hear that we were welcome. Not just that, but they would come pick us up at 7, after traffic had died down. How lovely was that?

After Peter and Gaby picked us up, they drove us half an hour to their home. From there, they had a view of the Kahlenberg! So we could have started the trail from their place… if only we had known sooner. In the car, they told us we were going to a heuriger. We had read about them. Sure, some were touristy, but the good ones were local. The tricky part was that you needed locals to find them.

A Heuriger

Heuriger literally means ‘this year’s wine’, and it is an event for winemakers to sell the wine of that year. Winemakers are only allowed to open for ten days at a time, a few times per year, and they take turn. It’s a government regulation meant to ensure they remain focused on wine production rather than operating as full-time restaurants.

As luck would have it, Peter and Gaby’s neighbor was open that day. It was a simple, cozy spot. White walls, wooden tables and chairs, with a few plants as the only decor. A waitress appeared immediately. Coen’s request for ‘a can of happiness and love’ earned a confused look, but local white wine and mineral water were on the table within five minutes. To eat, you had to get up and walk to the bar.

“That’s to check if you can still walk straight,” I joked.

It was a small bar with a display case (a bit Russian-style) filled with hot and cold dishes. We were late (it was 8 o’clock) so not much was left. Sliced pork, semmelknödel (made from old bread and super salty), spinach strudel, sauerkraut, and pheasant pâté (“Three from me, one from the neighbor,” the owner’s son informed us – he had made the pâté and came by to ask if we liked it) served with lingonberries.

We sampled a bit of everything. Delicious. And fun.
What a fantastic day!

Books we are Reading on the Sultan’s Trail

(click on the images to look inside)

Products from Amazon

Practical Information about Stage 1

The Sultan’s Trail guide provides extensive lists of facilities along the way, covering everything from accommodation and transportation to groceries and more. Water isn’t included, as it’s not an issue on the trail – it passes through numerous settlements.

Because the guide is more geared toward hikers who stay in paid accommodations and go to restaurants rather than wild campers, I here offer a short overview of the practicalities we encountered along the way.

We covered:

103 kilometers from Vienna to Bratislava in 5 days.
Had one day of rest at a campsite just outside Bratislava, on the south side of the river, called Yuzu House.
We hiked the trail in April, in pleasant springtime temperatures.

Water:

No worries about water. We each carried half a liter and easily refilled at public fountains or taps, or simply asked locals.

Food:

Although the trail passes through several villages it wasn’t always obvious if they had a grocery store, or if it was open. So, if you’re a wild camper like us, it’s better to carry enough food for a day or two.

Camping / Accommodation:

The first two nights we spent with friends.
On Day 3, we pitched our tent at Camping Harrachpark, which is essentially a camper site, but it was empty. We got water from the adjacent tennis court, which happened to be open (there is no water source on the campsite itself).
Day 4 we camped in Hainburg an der Donau. There is a campsite for campers with parking lots and a small field on the town’s north side along the water, but it was too windy to pitch a tent. We instead headed up the Schulerberg and camped on a grassy field (you can find it on Park4Night).
Days 5 and 6 were at Yuzu House and Restaurant, southeast of Bratislava, which is a lovely campsite and cultural center. It’s within walking distance of downtown (about 2.4 km after the start of Section 2, Day 1 – see the trail’s pdf).

Practical Information on the Sultan’s Trail in Eastern Europe

The Sultan’s Trail is a 2500-km-long hike from Vienna to Istanbul, crossing Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey. Find all info here.
We are hiking without laptops. The pictures are snapshots I took on my iPhone and I am using a foldable keyboard to write these blog posts. I’m happy with it despite it adding to the weight I carry.
We use MapOut for the GPX trail. The big advantage is that it works offline.
This is our gear list.